"O Healing River. Send Down Your Water!"
Reflection on Spiritual Life Week
By Mike Metzler

Why does a seminary need a spiritual life week? This was the question we wrestled with in “Christian Tradition” class. A guest instructor, Mary Theissen-Nation, engaged us on her thoughts and experiences of Christian spirituality, including her working definition of the Christian life itself. “It is union with the God revealed by Christ through the Spirit in the church for the sake of the world,” she said. Mary also suggested that part of spirituality is attentiveness to God which results in astonishment at His presence. As I listened to her talk I hoped that Spiritual Life Week would bring such an encounter.

The week was condensed into three days: a longer spiritual retreat on Wednesday added to the regular chapel times on Tuesday and Thursday. Roy Hange, co-pastor of Charlottesville Mennonite Church, was the chapel speaker for the week. In his introduction, Lonnie Yoder described him as being “ecumenically and aesthetically spiritual.” That was an interesting definition, and I chewed on it as Roy taught.

Shimmering candles served as centerpieces for our discussion on Tuesday, my eyes told me there were six but individual mirrors behind each reflected their light. This image was a theme for our first gathering: we were shown how Biblical teaching ‘shimmers’ as we learn to see it as reflected, not literal, truth.

As an example, Roy shared that many people, himself included, have erroneously tried to see the Genesis creation stories as scientific truth. He believes the purpose of the creation story can only be seen in the correct context. The importance of God creating through the spoken Word in the Hebraic tradition is only clear when we see it in contrast with the Babylonian creation story, in which the world comes into being through violence. God reveals His character to us in the Biblical creation stories. We see a God who desires a relationship with His Creation, One who walks with us.

During Wednesday’s gathering, Roy spoke about how following God often results in dislocation. Through an examination of Abraham, Moses and Jesus, he showed how following God’s call removed them from families, previous occupations and even familiar land. Roy encouraged us as seminary students, many of whom have been dislocated in attending seminary, that there is much grace in dislocation.

Moses, for example, matured into the leader God needed him to be when he returned to Egypt and allowed God to use him to set the people free. Moses acted in faith- not fear- when he responded to God’s call; we were encouraged to do likewise. Wendy Miller prefaced Roy’s message on Wednesday, encouraging us that God is calling to each of us and will help us to listen and respond to His call. By doing so, we will be free and allow others to walk in freedom as a result.

I carried this message with me during the time of “retreat” that followed, especially struck by Wendy Miller’s words that prefaced Roy’s message. Too often, she said, “we continue, like Adam and Eve, to hide in the bushes of our shame and guilt.” God was calling to each of us, she encouraged, and He will help us to listen and respond. As I spent time alone with God, I realized my dislocation, not only geographically but emotionally and spiritually. I was reminded that the last three years have involved many painful experiences, yet I constantly stuffed the grief from them deep into myself and put on a strong façade. My relationships with God, others and myself suffered as a result.

Thursday marked the last official day of Spiritual Life Week, and the focal point was the Eucharist. We gathered as a community to confess, to name our sins, sadness and shame. We invited God’s healing presence in our midst. The time that followed was a powerful one in my life.

We cried out, and God answered by opening the floodgates of heaven. We sang, ‘Oh Healing River, send down Your waters,’ and they came, first in gentle rain simply tapping, then in waves with relentless fury. We asked, and He responded with a resounding, ‘Yes, I am here, hovering in your midst.’ As a community of faith, we were touched in a powerful way as we gathered to celebrate the Eucharist together.

It was during the anointing time that I most profoundly experienced the washing of God’s Spirit over me. I went deep into my life experience of the past several years and realized the buried grief: disappointment in God for not healing my brother-in-law, Colin, who is paralyzed from a diving accident, deep sadness over shattered dreams of life.

I realized that I had dammed up my soul. Jesus called me to open my heart so He could give me peace where there was unrest, hope where there was despair and joy where there was grief. So I let go, and the tears welled up and overflowed.

I wept, and afterwards, a deep peace pervaded my soul. Jesus was healing me. The anointing oil placed on my forehead helped me to recognize the active God working in me. He was present in my disappointment, grief and loss. He was transforming me and bringing new life.

The worship experiences of Spiritual Life Week invited God into our midst, and He transformed many of us. Afterwards, a student who spoke of the time of communion said that he felt like he was at the Last Supper with Jesus! I am thankful to hear of these responses and also for the prayers and time that went into this week. May we remember what God did and continue being astonished at His active presence among us.